Victor King: The Perfect Ticket: Barack Obama's Running Mate (and King Creole's ODDS!)

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Stick a fork in Hillary Clinton. It's just about a 'done deal' for Barack Obama as the democratic candidate for president. At this stage of the game, Clinton needs a miracle.... or in sports terms, a "Hail Mary". If the current Obama / Clinton race were a sporting event, we can compare it two different ways.

BASEBALL: If these two were locked in an end-of-the-season pennant race, the odds would be about 10,000 to 1 against Clinton. According to the USA Today, Obama would have an 8-game lead in a pennant race with about 14 games to go. Only a 1964-like Philadelphia Phillies collapse would turn this winner into a loser. Or a 22-1 run to end the season like last year’s Coloardo Rockies!

FOOTBALL: I like this comparison even better. In a football game, Obama has an 8-point lead late in the game. There's only 1 minute to go in our game. Not only does Obama have a touchdown and a 2-pt conversion lead, but he currently has the ball in Clinton territory. She only has one time out left (we'll call that the West Virginia primary). All Obama has to basically do is protect the football and "take a knee" for three consecutive plays! Done deal.... game over. The following unlikely events would have to occur for Clinton to win:
*She has to strip the ball from Obama (turnover) and take over on offense again...
*She must complete a quick 60+ yard "Hail Mary" pass for a touchdown....
*Her team then must ALSO make a successful 2-point conversion...
Even if ALL of those things happen, the game is STILL only tied and we would have to go into overtime!

So it's just about a done deal for Barack Obama. The next step is picking a possible Vice President candidate. After a couple of days of research, KING CREOLE has come out firing with his TOP 10 Vice Presidential candidates. The idea of a modern Vice Presidential choice is to balance a ticket, geographically and usually ideologically. There is a perception among many voters that Barack Obama is left-wing and out of the ideological mainstream, a perception being fanned by both Hillary Clinton and John McCain and that is ballyhooed by right-wing talk radio. Since we always like to add a "betting angle' to our blog, we'll attach King's ODDS for each of these 10 options.

1) BILL RICHARDSON (odds: 3 to 2) – Governor of New Mexico – One of Barack Obama’s perceived weaknesses is his rapport and standing in the hispanic communities across the country. Richardson actually would deliver the state of New Mexico on a platter since it's probably the most evenly matched state in the union. Bush beat Kerry by less than a percentage point in 2004, or 7,000 votes. And Richardson's strong credibility in the Latino community would improve Obama's chances in Texas, Nevada, and Colorado. In fact, I'd camp him out in those states. Furthermore, his foreign policy credibility is unparalleled in Democratic politics, bolstering one of Obama's perceived weaknesses. Let’s not forget that he held two key positions in the Bill Clinton adminstration: Secretary of Energy (a great enviromental coup)… and Ambassador to the United Nations. That’s a fantastic 1-2 combo for Barack Obama….. and that’s why this ‘no brainer’ choice is currently the FAVORITE for this VP pool.

2) JIM WEBB (odds: 2 to 1) – Senator form Virginia - Party tickets need to be balanced geographically, with each of the running mates bringing in their home states from different regions. Webb fits Obama's true needs. The Illinois Senator's greatest deficiency is his lack of experience in foreign policy and military security. There is no way for Obama to match John McCain in these areas. Webb is a Naval Academy grad and Vietnam veteran (exactly matching McCain), and a former Secretary of the Navy bringing directly relevant executive experience. His term at the Pentagon came under Ronald Reagan, when Webb was a Republican, an advantage in Obama's effort to achieve a new electoral coalition. With this military background, he reinforces the Democrats' case against the Iraqi intervention, a position he has articulated from the beginning of the war.

3) MIKE BLOOMBERG (odds: 4 to 1) - Mayor of New York - I REALLY like the logic of this choice. Obama could do himself a huge favor by picking a prominent New Yorker to round out a dream ticket. Choosing Bloomberg as his VP accomplishes three key things: (A) It gives Obama instant economic credibility. Adding Bloomberg to the Dem ticket would be like getting a Peyton Manning to run a complicated offense. Obama can inspire; Bloomberg would inspire confidence. (B) This choice delivers a postpartisan partnership. Obama has built much of his campaign on leading America past Washington's bitter, paralyzing partisanship. This is how Bloomberg has governed, albeit in a very liberal city, and it's precisely the message he has been delivering on the national stage. (C) This choice gives the ticket a deep résumé and a claim to results. Bloomberg has walked the walk. At 66, he has enjoyed a successful Wall Street career; built one of the great media companies of the day, and, rather unbelievably for a billionaire, been one of New York City's most popular mayors.

4) EVAN BAYH (odds: 5 to 1) – Senator from Indiana - Many political observers expected U.S. Senator Evan Bayh to run for the Presidency in 2008, and he had even created an exploratory committee, but balked at the amount of time that would have to be devoted to fund-raising. He dropped out in 2007 and immediately endorsed Hillary Clinton, for whose campaign her serves as co-chair. Bayh has broad experience in both state and national government, having been Indiana's Secretary of State (an elected position) from 1987-1989 before being elected to two terms as governor in 1988 and 1992, when he garnered 62% of the vote to soundly beat the Republican candidate. Unlike his father, former Senator Birch Bayh, a committed liberal, Evan Bayh is a moderate in the Bill Clinton mold. His moderate policies have made him, arguably, the most successful Democrat in modern times in Indiana, a state which is thoroughly Republican. An Obama-Evan Bayh ticket would be youth personified and signify the future.

5) HILLARY CLINTON (odds: 6 to 1) – Senator from New York – This is the “dream ticket’ that a lot of democrats are salivating over. I don’t like it. For one reason, it truly IS time for hope and change…. And we don’t need Bil and Hillary Clinton running around the White House again. Kudos on a job well done in the 1990’s, but we must look to the future…. Not the past. If elected, that ticket would bring a President Obama sniping from his vice-president and the anguish of the likely intrusive pretensions of Bill Clinton as a self-designated "co-president." But In cold-hearted political terms the combination doesn't make sense. Senator Clinton would not, in fact, bring that much to the ticket. Her strongest appeal obviously is to women. But women are likely to vote predominantly Democratic in ANY case, as they have for the past quarter of a century.

6) KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (odds: 7 to 1) – Governor of Kansas – If having a woman on the ticket is important. This is proably you’re best choice. Sebelius, who is older and has the distinguished gray hair of a seasoned states-person, has the advantage of having executive experience as a governor. She would be the more likely candidate for a balanced ticket, and provides geographic balance as well. Not only would her visible experience neutralize complaints about Obama's lack of government experience -- her age would obviate the backlash emanating from that ancient American taboo, a black man with a white woman. Sebelius's Roman Catholicism may give Obama some traction among a once-faithful portion of the Democratic electorates that has frequently strayed to the GOP in the recent past. The aspect against her is that Kansas went Republican in 2004.

7) BOB CASEY JR. (odds: 9 to 1) – Senator from Pennsylvania - One of Obama's most recent and important endorsements came from Senator Bob Casey Jr., making Casey a viable vice presidential nominee. Casey has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as various positions in Pennsylvania state government, most recently as Treasurer. Despite his lack of experience, he is able to attract votes from groups which Obama desperately needs to win over, such as white working-class citizens and blue-collar workers who, unlike young voters, have not flocked to Obama. Most importantly, Casey is conservative by Democratic standards--he opposes abortion and same sex marriage, which would definitely help to counter Obama's more liberal nature and help to deflect attacks from opponents. In recent times, U.S. presidential elections have been determined by voters in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania -- and in all three states, Obama has not fared very well. A point in Casey’s favor.

8) JOHN EDWARDS (odds: 9 to 1) – Senator from North Carolina - Symbolically, his campaign ended in one of this nation's poorest and most devastated areas, Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans--John Edwards is a candidate of the people. Before dropping out of the race, he had the support of many rural voters and those hit hardest by the downturn of the nation's economy. Having a candidate on board who in fact won second place in Iowa's caucus, defeating Hillary Clinton, would help Obama win over that group of supporters, giving him an edge in the general election. Edwards has experience as a Senator from North Carolina and as a successful trial lawyer. Edwards will, however, help Obama to win some souther, religious voters who typically vote for the Republican nominee.

9) GENERAL WESLEY CLARK (odds: 10 to 1) - Clark has extensive experience in the area of foreign policy. His military experience even surpasses that of McCain--he served in the military for over thirty years, and eventually became a four star general, winning numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clark is a more conservative Democrat, which would help Obama win the crucial swing voters in states such as Ohio. His ties to the southern states and Baptist church would help Obama in his weakest areas. However, the fact that Clark has little experience in holding elected office, and the fact that he has endorsed Hillary Clinton are potential stumbling blocks.

10) BOB GRAHAM (odds: 12-1) – Senator form Florida - If either Al Gore or John Kerry had chosen former U.S. Senator Bob Graham of Florida as a running mate, George W. Bush would have lost the Presidency in 2000 or 2004. They did not, and they lost Florida a state in which Bob Graham has never lost an election. As a southerner, Bob Graham not only would balance the ticket, but he would bring Florida's 27 electoral votes to the Democrats. His five-decades of experience in state and federal government would provide a perfect counterbalance to Barack Obama's sparser resume.